As renowned jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band tour the country, they will make a special stop at Ottawa Township High School to kick off the 20th annual Fine Arts Festival on Monday evening. The nearly week-long festival will feature student talent as well as performances by professional dancers, storytellers, comedians, musicians and other artists. "There's magic and electricity in the air during the festival-it's very intense-and that's what...

As everyone knows, America's jazz hotspots are Chicago, New York, New Orleans and … Elmhurst? Well, as of tomorrow evening, at least, the western suburb will indeed be pulsing with the music, as jazz stars and student ensembles from across the country converge there for the 46th annual Elmhurst College Jazz Festival. No less than Maria Schneider, one of the leading jazz composer-bandleaders in America, and trumpet star Dave Douglas - among other luminaries - will draw crowds to...

In one of the more tantalizing bookings of the season, Jazz Showcase will feature Maynard Ferguson and his Nouveau Bop Big Band during Thanksgiving week. The band signifies Ferguson's recent return to his acoustic roots, with the ensemble in residence Wednesday through Nov. 25, including performances on Thanksgiving. Ferguson and the Nouveau Bop Big Band played a one-nighter at the Cubby Bear lounge several months ago, but the superior ambiance and acoustics of Jazz Showcase, as well as the length of...

There can't be many cities in America that could gather up "A Pride of Trumpets" like the one that prowled the stage Tuesday night at the Spertus Institute. The sheer firepower of the occasion was obvious, with players such as Pharez Whitted, Corey Wilkes and Tito Carrillo sending high notes into the stratosphere. Jon Faddis – until recently the artistic director of the Chicago Jazz Ensemble – led the charge, his triple fortissimos surely heard on the...

It's become almost an unofficial tradition that Maynard Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band will touch down at the Jazz Showcase Thanksgiving week. Though Ferguson decided to give the band the holiday week off this year, the guys were back in place Tuesday night for a hot opening set. The big change from last year is a new rhythm section: Pianist Chip Stevens has rejoined the band, and Chicago bassist Rob Amster and drummer Marko Marcinko are newcomers that give the...

THE AUTOMATIC JUKEBOX, one of San Francisco's most famous street musicians in the '70s and '80s, was found dead on a sidewalk this month. He was 59 and the cause of death was alcohol poisoning. His music had died long ago, but not before he entertained thousands of Bay Area visitors. You plunked money in this tall, cardboard box -- usually near Fisherman's Wharf -- and out he popped, trumpet in hand to play requests. The Automatic Human Jukebox was big. He was featured in guidebooks, got interviewed for...

Si! Si!-M.F. (Maynard Ferguson, Roulette). There's been better Maynard Ferguson than this reissue from a 1962 recording session that produced both the title album and another called "Maynard `64." But there's been a lot worse, too. His problem has always been showmanship-too much of it, which can kill the music. Ferguson's high trumpet flights are not enough to hold interest long, and the big bands he built around his top register range from the excellent ("Message...

Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson has given music lessons to everyone from Miles Davis to students on an Indian ashram over the course of his more than 50-year career. Then there are the lessons he has both passed on to and learned from the hundreds of musicians -- including such luminaries as keyboardist Joe Zawinul and trombonist-arranger Slide Hampton -- who have been in the various bands Ferguson has led since the mid-1950s. "I really do enjoy great young players and...

Big Bop Nouveau (Maynard Ferguson; Intima). Coming upon this big band recording by trumpeter Maynard Ferguson after listening to his recent pallid fusion releases is like seeing an old friend who has gotten away from the gold medallions and deep front shirts of his midlife crisis and back into a comfortable old sports coat and button-down shirt. The music here is as bright and powerful as the work Ferguson's band did in the 1960's. The allusions to earlier recordings are many.

Trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band will perform in a free outdoor concert along with the award-winning Elmhurst College Jazz Band under the leadership of Doug Beach, director of the jazz band and jazz studies at the college. Ferguson is a three-time Grammy Award nominee and a member of the Music Hall of Fame in his native Canada. The public is invited to bring a picnic basket, blanket and/or lawn chairs for the free celebration of summer and the arts. ---------- 6...

More than 2,000 high school students in brightly colored, sequined costumes with twirling batons and gleaming brass instruments will be featured Saturday at the Beatrice Music Bowl VIII-Illinois. In the event, area high school bands compete for music, marching and overall performance trophies. Preliminaries include 30 bands (10 minutes each) in competition. The 10 winning bands return to compete for the top prizes. Winding up the day will be a performance by jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and his...

The Woodstock Opera House has hosted a remarkably broad range of artistic expression over the past several years, from Mark Twain to Maynard Ferguson. But few are as enduring as the Woodstock Mozart Festival, which kicks off its 11th season Saturday night. In the eyes of festival organizer Anita Whalen, the annual event is so highly regarded in the community, due largely to the caliber of the musicians. "It's a very professional organization," Whalen said of the chamber orchestra...

Jon Faddis: Hornucopia (Epic). Faddis stands as one of the most exciting young trumpeters in jazz, even if his early start in music makes it seem as if he has been in the business for eons. Mixing the lightning quick runs of Dizzy Gillespie with the high-power blasts of Maynard Ferguson, Faddis` sound is almost always thrilling to hear. The aptly named "Hornucopia" is tinged with funk backdrops, but don`t let that deceive you; the recording overflows with the spirit...

Stevenson High School voyaged into uncharted waters recently with Odyssey '96, a first-ever schoolwide event to immerse the students, faculty, staff and community in the fine arts. For two full days, regular classes at the Lincolnshire school were suspended as students shifted into class offerings dedicated to the performing, visual and communication arts. Each student attended eight classes of different fine-arts experiences, choosing from a menu of more than 300 hands-on workshops,...

Stevenson High School voyaged into uncharted waters recently with Odyssey '96, a first-ever schoolwide event to immerse the students, faculty, staff and community in the fine arts. For two full days, regular classes at the Lincolnshire school were suspended as students shifted into class offerings dedicated to the performing, visual and communication arts. Each student attended eight classes of different fine-arts experiences, choosing from a menu of more than 300 hands-on workshops,...

Jeremy Piven is the new boy on the block, the one created by Ellen DeGeneres on her ABC sitcom, "Ellen." So what does the Evanston native bring to the show's mix of new writers and producers? "A great deal of madness," he tells INC., laughing at the memory of DeGeneres calling Piven a combination of Don Knotts and Marlon Brando. Piven plays Spence Kovak, Ellen's doctor cousin, and you'll meet him in the season's first episode. "You see him really lose it from the inside out for a...

Most of this touring year, Doug Stone has been doing 20- or 30-minute stints opening the Rock `N` Country Tour for Patty Loveless and Hank Williams Jr. But the ultra-romantic crooner is a riveting performer when given his chance at a full set. At the new but rustic Creekwood outdoor amphitheatre near Gordonsville, Tenn., a recent crowd of 1,500 to 2,000 endured two pelting rain showers to see him and were rewarded with a sizzling 90-minute show. Showcasing material from his...

It's become almost an unofficial tradition that Maynard Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band will touch down at the Jazz Showcase Thanksgiving week. Though Ferguson decided to give the band the holiday week off this year, the guys were back in place Tuesday night for a hot opening set. The big change from last year is a new rhythm section: Pianist Chip Stevens has rejoined the band, and Chicago bassist Rob Amster and drummer Marko Marcinko are newcomers that give the...

THE AUTOMATIC JUKEBOX, one of San Francisco's most famous street musicians in the '70s and '80s, was found dead on a sidewalk this month. He was 59 and the cause of death was alcohol poisoning. His music had died long ago, but not before he entertained thousands of Bay Area visitors. You plunked money in this tall, cardboard box -- usually near Fisherman's Wharf -- and out he popped, trumpet in hand to play requests. The Automatic Human Jukebox was big. He was featured in guidebooks, got interviewed for...

As renowned jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band tour the country, they will make a special stop at Ottawa Township High School to kick off the 20th annual Fine Arts Festival on Monday evening. The nearly week-long festival will feature student talent as well as performances by professional dancers, storytellers, comedians, musicians and other artists. "There's magic and electricity in the air during the festival-it's very intense-and that's what...